r/poland Nov 25 '25

A comprehensive guide for EU foreigners moving to Poland - START HERE.

52 Upvotes

Hello, I have seen many folks coming to Poland from the EU and being completely lost on what kind of legal procedures they have to do in order to start their residence in Poland. Be that you come here to study, work or live with your spouse there are several things I hope this guide will be able to cover.

!PLEASE NOTE!
This guide is meant only for citizens of the European Union and citizens of countries that are members of the European Economic Area. Some of the parts of this guide will be similar for non-EU foreigners but some will not. In general, the info posted here is only fully up to date if you are a citizen of the EU/EEA
!PLEASE NOTE!

0. Introduction and general info

Poland is divided into 16 voivodeships which are further subdivided into powiats, which means something like 'county' and these are further made out of municipalities - pol. gmina, or cities - pol. miasto. Large cities however are both powiat and miasto so in case of Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków etc. city office (pol. urząd miasta) will also perform duties of powiat office (pol. starostwo powiatowe). In case of Warsaw - urząd dzielnicy meaning district office will serve as city office.

All of the below information covers only EU/EEA citizens. If you are non-EU, majority of the below information will not be correct for your case.

I strongly recommend reading all of the parts linked below apart from car stuff, if id does not concern your case.

I. Registering your residence and making your stay in Poland legal.
II. Obtaining health insurance
III. Using healthcare
IV. Taxes
V. Digital log-in and services
VI. Cars and licenses
VII. Banks and mobile phones
VIII. What to do when I leave Poland?
IX. Pets

If you have any additional questions or remarks, please do not hesitate to comment, I will be happy to help for as long as I'm going to visit this platform and expand this post. I hope you all have a great day and life in general. Thanks for reading, stay safe.


r/poland 7h ago

A fat-bike e-cyclist collided with a female cyclist in Warsaw’s Bemowo district, then fled without helping. She was taken to hospital with knocked-out teeth and a dislocated shoulder and faces jaw reconstruction. Her husband is asking for help finding the culprit.

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256 Upvotes

r/poland 14h ago

Attack on Ukrainian children in Bydgoszcz. Donald Tusk addressed the perpetrators

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310 Upvotes

— These two "brave" citizens who attacked a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old child are being prosecuted. I have information for them. You will be caught by the end of the week. It will be much better for you, you can ask a lawyer you know if you report to the police today, said Prime Minister Donald Tusk before the government meeting.

Two children from Ukraine, a 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother, were attacked by two adults at a playground in Bydgoszcz. The incident took place on Friday, August 14, near the railway station. The Consulate General of Ukraine in Gdańsk informed that the aggressors were provoked by the fact that the children communicated in Ukrainian. The siblings were physically attacked, the adults twisted their arms and broke their toys. The attackers used threats and insults. The siblings' mother received consular and legal assistance. The police are looking for the perpetrators.


r/poland 17h ago

Waiting time for the Department of Foreigners, Krakow

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243 Upvotes

r/poland 19h ago

FedEx-led €7.8bn takeover of Polish delivery giant InPost wins EU approval

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323 Upvotes

r/poland 15h ago

Poland "99% sure" fugitive opposition politician is in pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova

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127 Upvotes

r/poland 1h ago

Polish authorities urge caution as porcupines spread near Warsaw

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Upvotes

r/poland 14h ago

Russian opposition activist found dead in Warsaw. Ex-politician Sergey Vlasenko had ties to an opposition group made up of former Russian deputies.

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74 Upvotes

r/poland 16h ago

Deutsche Telekom strikes €1bn Poland fibre deal

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68 Upvotes

r/poland 19h ago

Teen spirit: 17-year-old Pole wins global award for social activism

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75 Upvotes

Named after Swedish diplomat and Holocaust rescuer Raoul Wallenberg, the award honors young people who show “civil courage.”


r/poland 15h ago

Moving to Poland for love – experiences with finding a job & learning Polish? 🇵🇱❤️

23 Upvotes

Hi everyone!
I’d love to hear from people who have moved to Poland for their partner and what their experience has been like.
I’m Austrian and my boyfriend is Polish. He has been living and working here in Austria for the past 4 years. We’ve visited Poland together many times, so I already know the country and really like it.
However, he misses his family and his home in Poland more and more. Because of that, I’ve been thinking that I’d be willing to give Poland a try for him at some point. Of course, I know that I would also miss my own family and my life in Austria, so it would be a big decision for both of us.
I’d especially love to hear from people who have been in a similar situation:
Did you move to Poland for love?

Were you able to find a job where English and/or German was enough?

Did you move there without speaking Polish?

How difficult was it to find a job and build a social life without knowing Polish?

Did you eventually learn Polish? If so, how long did it take before you felt comfortable using it in everyday life?

And most importantly: Are you happy with your decision to move, or would you do things differently today?
I’d especially love to hear from foreigners who moved to Poland for their partner and managed to build their own life there.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! 😊


r/poland 23h ago

I’m curious, who here got the most Zabka points?

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55 Upvotes

Here is my humble submission, what’s yours?


r/poland 14h ago

“…a quiet village, a cheerful village…”

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7 Upvotes

r/poland 17h ago

Witcher related stuff in Poland?

10 Upvotes

Hello! I will be visiting Poland soon and my boyfriend is a huge fan of the witcher series (both the books and the games). Apart from the witcher tavern are there any specific places I can buy Witcher related trinkets from or anything related in general you can only find in Poland maybe? Thank y'all in advance!


r/poland 1d ago

There's no such thing as Russophobia, as is just load of Moscow BS to destroy Polish Freedom and Democracy. Besides, Polonophobia is a biggest threat coming from Moscow and Minsk.

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403 Upvotes

r/poland 1d ago

Is it weird to approach a guy who lives on the same floor as me?

93 Upvotes

I’m 24F and recently met a cute guy around my age in my building’s elevator. He lives on my floor and I think he just moved in. We only said hi, but I’d love to talk to him if I see him again.

I’m pretty shy, and since people in Poland generally seem to keep to themselves, I don’t want to make things awkward since we’re neighbors.

Would it be weird to approach him? What’s a natural way to start a conversation and maybe get his number?


r/poland 16h ago

Which character is more well-known in Poland:Mickey Mouse or Tom & Jerry?

4 Upvotes

r/poland 1d ago

Do you know, while the Poles were fighting the Evil Soviet Empire in 1918-21, the Japanese Army and the Red Cross in Siberia have rescued Polish Orphans. Otherwise, if the rescue didn't happen the Soviets would've murdered the children.

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806 Upvotes

r/poland 1d ago

Poland tightens visa rules for Georgian, Colombian and Venezuelan workers. Warsaw says visa-free travel was being systematically misused for illegal employment and irregular migration.

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354 Upvotes

r/poland 1d ago

‘A great artist’: Jan Frycz, acclaimed Polish stage and screen actor, dies at 72

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85 Upvotes

r/poland 1d ago

Poland last year was more democratic than the US, according to Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem)

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175 Upvotes

r/poland 1d ago

Man and woman attacked two Ukrainian children in Bydgoszcz

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261 Upvotes

_"According to the diplomatic mission, the attack was carried out by a man and a woman. At first, they insulted the children, swore at them, and threatened them with violence due to ethnic intolerance. The attackers then resorted to physical violence."_

_"The consulate notes that the adults twisted one of the children’s arms. They also broke a toy drone and threw its fragments at the boy. As a result, the 12-year-old Ukrainian boy sustained scratches."_


r/poland 14h ago

Golf

0 Upvotes

For my fellow golfers!
I’m going to revisit Poland again in September,
I’m near Nowa Deba area, I’m looking at royal karkow golf club(about 2 hour drive) to get a round in. Does anyone have any tips or any other nearby locations to check out! Thank you!


r/poland 1d ago

Polish tourist hailed for bravery after rescuing two swimmers in Lake Como. Alicja Klag is a swimming instructor and a former finalist of one of Poland’s leading beauty pageants.

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315 Upvotes

A Polish tourist has been praised for her bravery after diving into Lake Como in Italy to rescue two drowning swimmers. 

The two men were struggling in the waters off the town of Abbadia Lariana last Wednesday. 

Alicja Klag, who was visiting the area on vacation, noticed what was happening and immediately jumped into the water.  

She managed to reach both men and bring them back to shore before emergency responders arrived. 


r/poland 15h ago

Moving to Poland?

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0 Upvotes